Silk Velvet Goes Barrel Proof & Four Roses Launches Experimental Series No. 002

Two filings from late May and early June hint at where a pair of very different bourbon operations are heading — one a grassroots Kentucky revival, the other one of the industry's most recognized names quietly building a new experimental platform.

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Silk Velvet Barrel Proof (Kentucky Straight Bourbon)

Silk Velvet is a brand with genuine historical roots: the label traces its lineage to 1880 Henderson, Kentucky, where Col. A.S. Winstead distilled the original before Prohibition ended production. The brand was relaunched in December 2024 by the Hargis family — lifelong Hendersonians — in partnership with Jacob Call, an 8th-generation master distiller whose family's bourbon history stretches back to 1791. The current flagship is a 6-year-old, 107-proof Kentucky straight bourbon, sourced from hand-selected barrels and bottled at Western Kentucky Distilling Co. in Beaver Dam, KY, which filled its first barrels in July 2023.

This new Barrel Proof filing steps up the ante considerably. The label discloses a 7-year age statement, a 75/21/4 mash bill (corn/rye/malted barley), #4 char, and identifies it as a single barrel — barrel No. 52 in this case. It's listed on the label at 133 proof (66.5% ABV), though as with all COLA filings, the stated proof should be treated as provisional until an official release announcement confirms it. The bottling location remains Western Kentucky Distilling Co., Beaver Dam, KY, and the label carries Jacob Call's signature as 8th Generation Master Distiller.

For a brand barely 18 months into its commercial life, a named single-barrel barrel proof release signals deliberate upward momentum — and at 7 years, this sits a year older than what's been publicly available at retail. No release date or price has been announced as of this filing.

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Four Roses Experimental Series — Honey Cask Finish (Experiment No. 002)

Four Roses introduced a brand-new Experimental Series in 2026 — a 375 ml, limited-release platform under Master Distiller Brent Elliott designed to explore finishing techniques and new recipes outside the distillery's core lineup. Experiment No. 001 kicked off the series with a Mizunara Cask Finish, a Kentucky straight bourbon rested in the rare Japanese oak. Now Experiment No. 002 follows with a Kentucky Straight Bourbon Finished in Honey Casks, filed and approved May 29, 2026.

The label lists 52% ABV (104 proof) — the same proof as Experiment No. 001, and a consistent benchmark for the series so far, though COLA proof figures can shift before a release ships. Both releases share the same small 375 ml format, reinforcing that these are intentional limited experiments rather than volume plays. Worth noting: while the face label calls this a "Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey," the TTB classified this filing under Whisky Specialties — suggesting honey-cask influence may push it outside strict straight bourbon parameters in the agency's view, even if the brand leans into the bourbon framing on-label. Distilled and aged at Four Roses' Lawrenceburg, Kentucky distillery (established 1888).

The Experimental Series arrives at an interesting moment for Four Roses: the brand's ownership transition from Kirin to Gallo was announced in early 2026. The Experimental Series appears to be a product of Elliott's team, and the pace of filings (two experiments in quick succession) suggests the series has real momentum heading into the back half of the year.

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Two very different trajectories, but both point the same direction: more wood experimentation, higher proof, and careful brand-building from distillers who clearly have more coming.